[BUG] @ file picker returns no results in native binary — works in npm package of same version (2.1.81)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The @ file picker shows zero results in the native binary build of 2.1.81.
Typing @filename in any project returns no suggestions. The picker appears
to search nothing and returns empty results for all queries.

What Should Happen?

Typing @test in a project containing test.txt should show test.txt as a
suggestion in the autocomplete dropdown.

Error Messages/Logs

No error messages. The picker opens but returns empty results silently.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install 2.1.81 via native installer (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | sh)
2. Create minimal project:

mkdir /tmp/testproject && cd /tmp/testproject && git init && echo "hello" > test.txt

1. Run: claude
2. Type: @test
3. Observe: no suggestions appear

Confirmed NOT reproducible with:
node $(npm root -g)/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js
(same version 2.1.81, picker works correctly)

This isolates the bug to the native binary build artifact specifically.

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

2.1.81 npm package works. Native binary last confirmed working version unknown — did not test systematically below 2.1.74 native.

Claude Code Version

2.1.81 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

The 2.1.81 changelog states: "Improved performance of @ file mentions — file
suggestions now appear faster by pre-warming the index on startup and using
session-based caching with background refresh."

This performance improvement appears to have introduced the regression in the
native binary build only.

Workaround: replace native binary with npm package wrapper:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@2.1.81
cat > ~/.local/bin/claude << 'EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env zsh
exec node "$(npm root -g)/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js" "$@"
EOF
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/claude
chflags uchg ~/.local/bin/claude # prevent native installer from overwriting

Note: Anthropic has deprecated npm installation, so this workaround is fragile
long-term. The native binary needs to be fixed.